WINNSBORO – A roughly 300-acre mixed-use development recently approved by Winnsboro Town Council could eventually bring more than 1,000 new housing units, commercial space, a par-3 golf course and additional hotel rooms to a large tract bordered by Columbia Road, W. Moultrie Street, the commercial area along Hwy 321 N. Bypass from CVS down to Auto Zone, and the Mill Village to the south.
Webb Yongue, with Capstone developers, said the project, called Mill Creek Village, is planned as a long-term development that will include a mix of townhomes, cottages, various sizes of traditional single-family homes and potentially apartments and duplexes, along with as much as 70,000 square feet of retail and commercial space.
The development is currently approved for up to 1,204 residential units, although Yongue said he expects the final number to be lower as the project evolves into larger lots in some areas of the project over an estimated 20 to 25 years.
“As Winnsboro changes, I greatly anticipate that our site plan will change with it, just to go with the town and fit the needs better,” Yongue told The Voice.
The property was assembled through four acquisitions, including the approximately 64-acre former Winnsboro Country Club, a neighboring apartment property, approximately 220 acres of former Fairfield Compact property and about 15 acres comprising the abandoned Winnsboro Point subdivision behind CVS.
Yongue said the property was rezoned in the spring of this year, and the development agreement received final approval in July.
Unlike many large subdivisions built around cul-de-sacs, Yongue said Mill Creek Village is designed largely around a traditional street grid intended to connect with existing Winnsboro neighborhoods.
“We don’t show a single cul-de-sac,” he said. “It’s all just gridded. More of an extension of the Mill Village than anything. That’s why we call it Mill Creek Village.”
Plans call for extending Fourth, Fifth, Eighth and Pine streets and connecting or extending approximately 11 existing roads.
The development agreement also includes design standards intended to prevent garages from dominating the fronts of houses. Garages must be recessed or set back, and their width cannot exceed 50 percent of the width of the home’s first level.
Yongue said the first residential phase will likely be approximately 78 higher-quality rental townhomes in the former Winnsboro Point subdivision behind CVS. Capstone hopes to begin construction during the first half of 2027 and is currently working with engineers and architects.
The company is targeting rents of approximately $1,700 to $1,800 per month.
Yongue said one of Winnsboro’s current housing problems is the shortage of quality rental properties for residents who are not yet ready or able to purchase a home.
“I really see that as the biggest issue with Winnsboro, the lack of quality rentals,” he said. “There’s just simply nothing for people who can’t yet afford to buy a home.”
The first phase would be privately maintained and separated from surrounding properties in part by a natural creek buffer, he said.
Another portion of the development is expected to feature smaller cottage-style single-family homes of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 square feet. Yongue said some could be built on small lots and could potentially sell in the $200,000 to $250,000 range.
The overall plan currently shows approximately 240 townhomes in three areas. Some could eventually be rentals and others could be offered for sale. Other sections are designated for larger, traditional single-family homes, duplexes and garden-style apartments, although Yongue emphasized that those uses could change substantially before later phases are built.
Some of the traditional single-family lots currently shown on the plan measure approximately 53 feet by 120 feet, or about 6,300 square feet.
Natural features and existing infrastructure, including creeks, power lines and utility easements, will help separate different types of housing and shape the development.
Yongue said Capstone does not intend to flatten the property’s rolling terrain.
“We’re not going to masquerade it by any means,” he said. “We’ll kind of level it and tier where we can.”
Commercial development is also part of the long-range plan. The project is approved for approximately 70,000 square feet of retail or commercial space.
Yongue said possible tenants could include businesses and services that residents currently must leave Winnsboro to find, such as shipping services, cellular phone stores and restaurants.
The former country club property is already becoming another component of the project.
Capstone has renovated the former country club building into Hotel Everett and opened Carlisle’s, a popular new fine-dining restaurant. A small apartment complex purchased as part of the property has also been converted into an extended-stay hotel.
Long-range plans call for replacing the former golf course with a par-3 course and constructing a new clubhouse. The clubhouse could include a casual grill, meeting rooms and possibly a golf simulator, with another 15 to 20 hotel rooms on an upper floor.
Yongue said the golf component would likely come later, after residential development begins bringing additional population to Winnsboro and strengthens the local economy.
“And, of course, retail follows rooftops,” Yongue said. “Once we start building houses, I expect within a year or two we can really see the rest of the town start to come together.”
He said the goal for the golf property is to create a quality par-3 course that could become a destination, drawing visitors who might play golf, stay overnight at Hotel Everett and dine at Carlisle’s.
But housing will come first.
With the project expected to take two decades or more to complete, Yongue said the approved plan should be viewed as a framework rather than a final blueprint.
“We’re going to start with probably 78 townhomes,” he said. “From there, Capstone will adjust subsequent phases according to Winnsboro’s growth and the demand for different kinds of housing.
“We’re fully zoned for 1,204 units,” Yongue said. “But it’s likely going to end up being a lot fewer homes on larger lots in some areas.”